Thousands across Hong Kong paid their respects to their ancestors last week during the Chung Yeung, or Double Ninth, Festival.
The traditional Chinese holiday falls on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunisolar calendar. Families hike to high ground to visit cemeteries, sweep and clean graves and lay out offerings.
South China Morning Post photojournalists captured moments of remembrance across the city as people honoured their beloved departed.
Hongkongers carry flowers as they visit the Chai Wan Cemetery in Chai Wan on Chung Yeung. The name of the festival translates to “double yang” in Chinese – as nine is a “yang” number. Photo: Karma Lo
Grave sweepers at Diamond Hill Cemetery in Kowloon. The custom of ascending a mountain dates back to a Han dynasty legend where the act protected a family from a devastating plague. Photo: Sam Tsang
The autumnal festival fills trails and hillside cemeteries with families carrying offerings like flowers, roasted meats and fruit. Chrysanthemum is a particularly auspicious flower for this day. Photos: Karma Lo
Just as they would on Ching Ming, the spring tomb-sweeping festival, many families carry joss paper and spirit money as offerings for the dead. Relatives clean the gravesites and burn paper offerings in a gesture of filial devotion. Photo: Karma Lo
What would you carry, or what do you and your family bring, for your ancestors? After sacred rituals, families traditionally gather at dim sum halls and restaurants for a celebratory feast, which occasionally features roast pork. Photo: Karma Lo
People pay respects to their ancestors at the Chai Wan Cemetery. While Chung Yeung is tied to autumn, Ching Ming – meaning “clear and bright” – marks the arrival of spring. Photo: Karma Lo
